The history of Dana I-IV

For more than 100 years, Dana has been the name of Denmark's largest research vessels. They have contributed to our knowledge of marine life and have helped define Denmark as a leading marine research nation.

The research vessel Dana IV
The research vessel Dana IV, built in 1981, will remain in use until it is replaced by Dana V. Photo: Bastian Huwer.

Dana IV: 1981-2027

Dana IV was built by the Ministry of Fisheries and launched in 1981. The ship's primary task was and is to monitor fish stocks in European waters and the North Atlantic in relation to Denmark's obligations in the EU. The ship is also used for research cruises further afield, e.g. Greenland and the Sargasso Sea. Dana moved to DTU when the Danish Fisheries Research Institute (now DTU Aqua) became part of DTU in 2007.

 

Dana III: 1937-1977

Dana III was the first specifically designed research vessel built by the Ministry of Agriculture. However, the ship only managed to sail for a short time before the Second World War broke out and made fieldwork at sea impossible. From 1947, Dana III was in action again in the North Atlantic, off Greenland, in the Sargasso Sea and in the waters around Denmark. Dana III was sold in 1977, as continued sailing as a research vessel would require large investments.

Dana II: 1925-1935

Dana II was a steam trawler that the Ministry of Agriculture purchased, among other things, to continue eel research in the Sargasso Sea. Dana II also made a two-year circumnavigation of the globe from 1928-1930 conducting a highly esteemed multidisciplinary research cruise. In addition, the ship conducted biological studies in the North Atlantic and around Greenland. In 1935, a ship sailed into Dana II in dense fog, causing it to sink. Everyone on board survived.

Dana I: 1920-1921

The first Dana ship was a wooden motor schooner. The ship was owned by the East Asiatic Company (ØK), which made it available to the later world-famous Danish eel researcher Johannes Schmidt from the Carlsberg Laboratory. He made two voyages with Dana I in 1920 and 1921 to the Sargasso Sea to find the eel's breeding grounds.